The CES 2018 opening night keynote presentation was all about data, from its importance in our lives to its power to transform the world. Held at the Park Theatre at Monte Carlo in Las Vegas on January 8, the keynote immersed attendees in the future of data-driven technology, with help from live event experts, including executive technical producer John Halloran of John Halloran and Associates, executive producer and creative director Bill Welter of Clarity Creative, production designer Todd Ivins, and executive art director Gregg Stokes of Clarity Creative.
Read about the presentation's amazing stunts, set design, visual content, and staging stats.
THE SPOTLIGHTS
Since video drove the keynote, lighting designer Jim Tetlow of Nautilus Entertainment Design created complementary scenic lighting. Philips Vari-Lite 4000 Spots, as well as the house inventory of VL3500s, VL300 Spots, and VL3500 Wash FX fixtures, were used to light the scenery and the general area illumination. LED practicals were also installed into the proscenium scenic panels. In addition to designing the lighting, lighting director and programmer Kurt Doemelt also programmed the Tait Nano winches, both for illumination and motion control, as well as controlled the lasers. Nautilus also provided technical support and coordination for the onsite motion detection sensors and network.
“For the Nano tube light display, we created a link to the TouchDesigner system that was already driving the visual effects seen on the floor and wall,” explains Doemelt. “They created a system using the positional data of the dancer and a sensor wand that she held on stage. This data could then be used to track the dancer as she moves between the large spheres of the tube light display that were in motion, and by pointing her wand at them, illuminate each one. Once the settings were fine-tuned, it allowed for true interaction and unlimited flexibility in the choreography. The best part is we never had to re-cue the sequence.”
Robert Juliat Cyrano 2500W followspots lit onstage performers and guests so that a minimal amount of the LED floor was illuminated. “It meant taking careful notes of when content was extremely bright or dark and constantly adjusting followspot levels and iris to help maintain proper exposure,” he explains. Two MA Lighting grandMA2 full size consoles controlled the lighting. Previsualization was done in MA 3D and OnPC software. 4Wall Entertainment supplied the lighting equipment.
LIGHTING STATS
Control
- 2 MA Lighting grandMA2 full size console
- 3 MA Lighting grandMA Network Processing Unit
- 4 Gigabit Fiber / Cooper Switches on redundant loops
- 30 Universes of DMX all distributed via Network
- ArtNet In from TouchDesigner
- Artnet Out to Pangolin (Laser Software)
- sACN in / out to Tait (Status Bits and Output to Nano Grid)
Fixtures
- 63 Philips Vari-Lite VL4000 Spot
- 26 Philips Vari-Lite VL3500 Wash
- 19 Philips Vari-Lite VL3500 Spot
- 38 fixtures of RGBW Tape built into Scenic Elements. (128 DMX Addresses)
- 228 Nano Tubes with internal RGB LED Tape, and 6° White Spots in the bottom
- 20 Spheres with internal RGB LED Tape and IR tracking beacons built in
- 4 Robert Juliat Cyrano 2500W follow spot
Support Equipment
- 40,490 feet (Over 7.5 miles) of DMX 5 Pin Cable
- 4,305 feet (.8 Miles) of Ethernet RJ-45 Patch Cables
- 10 Fiber Switches
- Just over 1 mile of optical fiber
- 20,000 feet (Almost 4 Miles) of Power Breakout Cable
- Over 9,000 feet (1.7 Miles) of Socopex Multi Cable
- 7,500 feet (Almost 1.5 Miles) of Power Feeder Cable
Credits
- Executive Technical Producer: John Halloran (John Halloran and Associates)
- Executive Art Director: Gregg Stokes (Clarity Creative)
- Executive Producer / Creative Director: Bill Welter (Clarity Creative)
- Production Designer: Todd Ivins (Ivinsart Design, Inc.)
- Technical Media Advisor: Gary Jaeger (Core Studio Creative Director)
- Lighting Designer: Jim Tetlow (Nautilus Entertainment Design)
- Lighting Director / Programmer: Kurt Doemelt (Nautilus Entertainment Design)
- Audio Designer, FOH Engineer: Rich Halvorson
- Laser Design and Integration: Kelly Sticksel (Fireplay Executive Director R&D)
Worldstage: Video Equipment and Systems
- Senior Project Manager: James Sarro
- Integration Project Manager: TJ Donoghue
- Project Manager: Dennis Menard
- Project Manager: John Denion
- Senior disguise Media Server Programmer: Alex Bright
- Video Director: Ken Stanford
Kish Rigging: Production Rigging
- Production Rigger: Mike Cassidy
Mystic Scenic Studios: Scenery
- Project Manager: Mark Marenghi
TAIT Towers: Staging and Automation
- Project Managers: Ben Gasper and Brian Levine
4Wall: Lighting Equipment
- Account Executive: Craig Teague
OSA Integrated Solutions: Audio Equipment
- Account Executive: Paul Driggs
- Project Manager: Peter Wiejaczka